Japanese Garden Delights

Today I have had a relatively quiet day although I did a lot more walking than I planned as I got my metro station exits wrong and had to walk a very long way to get to where I actually wanted to be.  Still, I`ve learned my lesson.  Like cutting fabric when you measure twice and cut once, on the Tokyo metro check the exits twice and walk once!
It has been a warm and sunny day today and I visited one of the gardens on my wishlist, the Korakuen Garden.  I enjoyed the cherry blossom and many other spring flowers, several butterflies and lots of birds. 

I was especially delighted to see a kingfisher dive across the pond in the Inner Garden while I was sitting and relaxing.  I spotted a bale of turtles

sunning themselves and pointed them out to a little Japanese girl, along with the Makaton sign for turtle - are you impressed little Sam?
After eating my bento lunch, some of which I recognised and one particular piece which I must find out about,

I think it might have been an elastic band, I explored the rest of the garden and then headed to my Japanese home for a lazy soak in the onsen.
This evening I have been packing!  There is going to be little time tomorrow as I am going out for a meal arranged by Mr Sawa and I have to have my suitcase ready to send to Fujino on Sunday morning while I am heading to Shinjuku to join the Japanese Textile Study Tour.  I wish everyone who is now on the way as safe journey and I`m very excited about meeting you all finally.
I will aim to post again before I leave the ryokan but I am not sure how easy it will be to post from Bryan`s.  If you don`t hear anything, don`t panic, I`ll store it all up for you!